


Know Me

by ellie_effie



Series: Trailing Veilfire [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Conversations, F/M, Haven (Dragon Age), POV Solas (Dragon Age), Pre-Dragon Age: Inquisition Quest - In Your Heart Shall Burn, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:21:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27149341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellie_effie/pseuds/ellie_effie
Summary: Yondi'nne and Solas go for a stroll around Haven and talk.
Relationships: Female Lavellan/Solas, Lavellan & Solas
Series: Trailing Veilfire [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1870522
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	Know Me

**Author's Note:**

> Yondi'nne and Solas go for a stroll around Haven and talk.

Solas woke at the break of dawn in his small cabin in the village of Haven. He liked to be up early in the morning, when he could go by his activities without much interruption. Especially here, when being an apostate drew so much attention from the pious Andrastians. That morning, he decided to go for a walk to clear his head before carrying on with his studies of the Breach. As he walked out of his cabin, the green light looming over them as a menace, he heard noises coming out of the Herald’s cabin.

He walked over the snowy patch of dirt between their two cabins. He thought he would be a good neighbour and see how she was doing. The young woman certainly seemed agreeable enough, after the brief talk they had had when she woke up. When Solas teased her by calling her “the chosen of Andraste”, Yondi’nne suggested she should then be riding in on a shiny steed. He had to admit to himself that it was refreshing to find someone with a healthy sense of humour! And she continued to say what really struck a chord with Solas: when he mentioned how being an apostate in a place so devoted to the Chantry could be threatening for him, Yondi’nne promptly retorted that she would do what she could to protect him. 

But that morning, before he could knock on her door, Solas heard a distinctive sound: Yondi’nne was crying. He immediately held back his hand. It was obvious to him why she was crying: being separated from her clan, surviving an explosion, having a mysterious magical mark appear on her hand, fighting demons… All in the space of a few days. 

  
  


==========================================

Yondi’nne, although he didn’t even know that was her name at the time, had not moved for a whole day. Leliana had sent her best healers to help, but nobody could precisely tell what was wrong with her: she was breathing, her temperature was normalised, she was responsive. The prisoner, or the Herald as some had started to call her, just seemed to be deeply asleep.

Solas had been summoned to the small cabin they took her to by Cassandra. The Seeker had made sure Solas would take one of the cabins near the Chantry, so he assumed it had been for a reason. As soon as he walked into the door, Cassandra pointed a gloved finger at the unconscious elf on the bedroll on the cell floor and declared between gritted teeth to Solas:

“Make sure she survives.”

Solas nodded, aware that the words had been both a demand and a threat. What would help to the apostate mage if he couldn't produce the results the Seeker expected? He decided not to think long on it and spent the whole day investigating, inside and outside the Fade, what could be done for his charge.

That night, when the village had fallen silent and only the guards on patrol were awake, Solas was sitting on a wooden chair by her bed. As the candles upon the wooden table got smaller, his desperation only grew. How could she survive this? How had this happened? How could he have miscalculated the situation so badly?

The young elf was now carrying more magic in the palm of her hand than her people could ever imagine in thousands of years. And that, inevitably, would kill her. And it would be his fault, Solas’s fault: yet another mistake, another innocent person’s death he would be responsible for. For as hard as he tried, he couldn’t stop the tears that had pooled in his eyes.

Feeling alone and desperate, Solas cried for the first time in millenia. For himself, for what he had lost, for what he knew he would have to do. He simply wished he could simply go back to his uthenera and leave all of this madness behind him. When he started sobbing uncontrollably, he looked at her to see if that would wake her. But the prisoner slightly frowned and didn’t open her eyes. He lowered his head atop her, letting his tears fall on his tunic. He took her hand, the one that was still fully hers, and brought it to his forehead while squeezing it tightly.

“What have I done?”

That was all he could say, and he repeated it to her, in Elvhen and in Trade, over and over again. He asked for forgiveness for her life that he had cut even shorter, and even more for the life she as an elf could never have because of his doing.

And that was when, defying all his expectations, the woman stirred in her sleep and moaned softly. Solas looked up at her and she sighed as the mark on her hand glowed green. Forgetting his tears, Solas grabbed her other hand and focused his energy into sending healing mana to the Anchor. He cursed himself for being still so weak. That shouldn’t have to be such an effort! 

However, it worked. She stirred more fitfully and raised her eyebrows, as she began to breathe louder. Solas took a vial of healing potion to her lips and was glad to see she swallowed it, even if she didn’t wake. She calmed afterwards and the mark went back to its regular glow. Solas sighed in relief when she turned over in her sleep, positively being able to move now.

And that was the moment when Solas decided he would stay. He would help them, she would survive and he would somehow find a way to close that Breach. Solas ran his fingers through her damp hair, careful not to disturb her. 

==========================================

Solas took a step back, not knowing how to respond to the situation. He walked back into his cabin and lied to himself that he wouldn’t want to hurt her pride by catching her crying. In fact, it was an immense guilt that held his hand and guided him back inside.

He had been standing by his desk, deciding whether or not to try and knock or Yondi’nne’s door, when Varric climbed up the short steps from the village inn. He was carrying a loaf of bread under his arm and what Solas assumed was a jar of jam. The dwarf knocked on her door happily, as Solas stepped closer to his window to observe.

“Hey, elfy! Open up, I got you some good stuff!”

“Just a moment!” Yondi’nne shouted back from inside. She took a while to open the door.

“So I know how you elves get all broody when you don’t get… Aw, shit!” Varric’s jolly tone broke off when he saw her eyes puffy with tears. Yondi’nne looked around, and Solas was pretty sure she caught him staring before he could turn around, as she vaguely gestured for Varric to come inside.

It must have been an hour before Varric came out of Yondi’nne’s cabin empty-handed. During all this time, Solas tried to focus on his observations of the Breach, but kept stealing glances at her door. She came out hours later, apparently feeling better. She stopped by the village’s apothecary and that gave Solas time to step out of his own cabin nonchalantly. When he was leaning against the short wall to observe the Breach, he heard Yondi’nne’s voice call out his name.

“Good morning!” Solas said, turning around to face her. She seemed more lively, although she kept her left hand closed behind her back

“As you can see, they haven’t provided me with neither a steed nor a griffon.” Yondi’nne snorted, which Solas thought of as a good sign. “In the meantime, I thought of going for a stroll. Care to join me?” 

Solas faintly smiled and gestured for her to take the lead and they walked down the steps, making their way towards the village’s gates. When they passed by Varric, she waved at him, and the dwarf winked and said:

“Glad to see you’re feeling better, Crinkles!” 

“I am, thanks!” Then she turned to Solas and added: “I had a bad case of the sniffles this morning.”

“Oh, truly?” Solas asked, an eyebrow raised. “And how are you feeling now?”

“Better. It was just the cold mountain air, I’m not used to it. Wycome is usually very hot all year long.” Ah, she too could lie and deflect to protect herself!  _ Smarter than I thought _ , Solas concluded with a smirk.

They were walking in a slow but steady pace, Yondi’nne leading the way and taking in the village while Solas discreetly studied her with his hands clasped behind his back. He found that the best way of getting to know someone is by allowing them to show themselves freely and willingly, when they didn't suspect they were being observed. When they were walking under the threshold of the gates, Yondi’nne turned and asked him:

“May I ask you a question,” She stopped herself. “Solas…?” Yondi’nne let his name hang as if waiting for him to complete it.

“Solas.”, he replied shortly, looking ahead.

“No family name? No title?” O _ h, I have many, and most of them given by your People! _ , he thought bitterly but maintained a neutral expression and shook his head. “Oh, well…” Yondi’nne seemed unsure for a few seconds then concluded. “Solas it is, then.”

“You didn’t mean to ask me what my sobriquet was, I take it?”, he asked humorously and she giggled. They were making a turn and walking past the stables when he first noticed he enjoyed the sound of her laugh.

“No, I didn’t!” Yondi’nne’s expression became more serius. “May I ask you something about what you told me the other day?”

“You may.” Solas said, cautious and yet curious.

“You said you go to sleep in ruins and such to learn more about these places, right?”

“That is… an oversimplification of what I do, but in general terms, yes.”

“Fair enough!”, she admitted with another giggle. “So were you born like that or is that something you were taught how to do?”

Solas inhaled deeply.  _ You, as an elvhen, should have been able to perform it with more prowess than you would think! _ , he thought in exasperation. But that line of thought wouldn’t help either of them at that moment. He slowed his pace and explained calmly:

“It is a combination of both. It must be honed, as any other skill. But one must have an openness of both mind and spirit to be able to succeed.”

“But when you enter the Fade…” Solas noticed how she was pondering the question. “Is it you who manipulate the ether around you or does it swift and reshape itself at will? I mean, do you get to choose what you are shown on some level?”

Solas halted and looked at her, the question had taken him by surprise. She stopped and met his eyes in anticipation. 

“That is a rather specific question.”

“Yes, well… Being the First of my clan allowed me to study such things, but it’s one thing to learn the theory and another to have the experience.” 

Yondi’nne looked back at him, chin raised, waiting for the answer. Solas felt a smile curl his lips, but pondered while resuming their stroll.

“The Fade reshapes itself constantly but I am able to manipulate the modifications to a certain degree. If not the form, at the very least the velocity that it happens. Therefore, I can allow myself more time to observe whatever it is that is being shown.”

“It must be astonishing…and daunting!” Yondi’nne said in a pensive and amazed voice, looking out at the lake. Solas smiled at her behind her back. 

“It is. One must always be careful when entering the Fade, but not allow caution to preclude the experience.”

She nodded, taking in what he said. Solas was beginning to enjoy her attention and curious nature, he admitted it was a solace to find a Dalish who didn’t shun him. 

The ice on the lake was glistening with sunlight peeking from behind the towering mountains. They could perhaps pretend they were alone if it wasn’t for the constant clanging of metal coming from the training grounds and the blacksmith behind them.

“I’ve read about Dreamers and I know of a clan living near Kirkwall that had a problem with a Dreamer mage a few years ago.” Yondi’nne looked at him and widened her eyes. “But I had never met one in person.”

Solas bowed shortly and when he looked at her again, she was intently staring at him. He held her gaze for a few seconds but averted his eyes quickly: he felt for a second that if she kept looking at him, she might see more than she should.  _ What an absurd notion! _ , he thought to himself. But it seemed possible enough at the time to startle him. 

Luckily for him, Yondi’nne’s attention was soon diverted to two fat nugs that ran by them, squealing.

“Oh, look! I didn’t know that we had nugs living nearby!”

Yondi’nne sprinted ahead chasing the small creatures and Solas followed at a slower pace. She started telling him how she enjoyed playing with her clan’s hallas, shouting back at him over her shoulder, but nugs apparently were even harder to catch due to their size. 

When they were almost at the gate, she stopped and stared at the looming Breach. Solas noticed how the mark on her hand started glowing brighter, but she quickly closed it in a fist and put her hand inside her pocket. He walked up to her and looked up as well.

“Do you know what makes it hard for me to believe I’m a Herald of whatever god they worship?” -Solas offered her a “Hm?” and she explained: “It’s the fact that I’m scared shitless whenever I look at that…” She pointed up.

“Being scared when facing the unknown is wise. It prevents us from being careless.”

“Yes, but…” She said in a sigh, but then she raised an eyebrow at him. “It’s like they say, posturing is necessary.”

Solas chuckled in earnest amusement. They gave up on their observations of the Breach and walked back to the village.


End file.
